First Week of Vet Prep

The schedule for the vet prep program is slightly relaxed in that you do end up having more time than any of the actual semesters in veterinary school.  But seems to be proving to be a great opportunity for me to fine tune my study skills now that my full-time job is truly to be JUST a student!  I'm so grateful that I don't have to juggle a full-time job and full-time course load ever again.  I finally get to focus completely on school.  My job IS to study and be a successful student in veterinary school.

The courses that I have this semester are the following:
Applications
Medical Math
Microbiology
Prep. Physiology
Study Skills
Veterinary Terminology
Evidence Based Medicine

So far I'm really enjoying all of the courses and the fact that they are getting my brain juices flowing once again.

I feel pretty awesome right now in the sense that I think I have a great balance as well as the sense to buckle down and focus when there is work to be done.

Last week I was elected as the Vet Prep Class Representative for the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicines SCAVMA board.  I'm extremely thrilled about this opportunity!  I love being able to finally put my leadership skills to the test as well as continuing my education on how to manage and listen to groups, etc.  The first meeting for SCAVMA was today and I was officially sworn onto the board.  I hope to be the best voice for my fellow classmates/colleagues as well as keep them well informed about the current issues/opportunities that are happening within the university.

I have also joined the Josh & Friends committee at Ross University.  The committee raised enough funds the other semester to buy 12 kits (see the website for details) for the pediatric ward at the local hospital in St. Kitt's.  Those are going to be distributed to the children this Thursday for the first time ever!  The really cool part of this impressive achievement is that when the committee chair was talking about this event, you could really see her eyes light up with so much excitement to have accomplished such a feat.  My hopes in joining the Josh & Friends Committee is to give back to the community around the university.  I really wanted to provide some form of community service that didn't necessarily involve contact or working with animals but rather the locals here on St. Kitts.  Community service has really always been a very large passion of mine.  I've always felt that we are better off serving others that are in some form or another less fortunate than ourselves...there's always some kind of need in the community that you live in.  You don't necessarily have to focus on changing the world as a whole, but definitely try to change the community around you in any way you can.  There are resources/organizations out there to help you achieve this goal.

Aside from SCAVMA and the Josh & Friends committee, I really don't plan to stretch myself much further.  Maybe next semester (my 1st semester of veterinary school), I will look into clubs that are offered at Ross, but for right now these two commitments are perfect.

More to come as the weeks roll on by :)

Getting to Know RUSVM and St. Kitt's

I arrived on St. Kitt's on Thursday, April 28th 2011 around 2pm.  As soon as I stepped off the plane I was greeted with the warm island climate and constant breeze.  Made my way through immigration and customs...really was not as difficult as I had expected!  Got all my luggage that I checked at the airport in Columbus, OH!  Thank goodness!  After I grabbed my luggage, the school had a wonderful group of helpers to put our bags on dollies and roll it all outside to meet our orientation leader (OL) and group.  After everyone in my orientation group gathered from the airport, they transported us to campus where we unloaded our luggage and got slightly situated.  From there it was off to dinner.

I have spent the orientation period with an amazing group of 1st semester students and an OL who is moving into his 5th semester at RUSVM.  Most of the days until Monday (the first day of our scheduled orientation) have been filled with fun ways to get to know our surroundings (ie the island, the culture, the school, the food, etc.).  It's been an amazing experience and I'm extremely thankful for everything that has been offered to me.  The island is very rich with history and culture.  I'm extremely excited to continue to explore it and discover all the amazing local specialties.

One of the most interesting discoveries was our island tour and being told by our bus driver the extensive history of the island (i.e. settlement, sugar cane industry and all the plantations around the island, etc.) and getting to see where specific events occurred (ie. Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park).

Reality really started to sink in on Monday when the entire bunch (1st semester and VP semester students) was sitting in one of the huge classrooms and Keith Kramer (assistant dean for student life) spoke to us and really instilled a feeling of greatness in me for my presence at such a special and really blossoming university.

I think I've mentioned this to a few people, but I'm going to say it again...I truly believe that this is where I was meant to end up.  I know I had horse blinders on the last couple of years and was too focused on getting into OSU's program to pay attention to other opportunities that were out there.  But luckily the door and opportunity to attend OSU closed...so it led me to RUSVM.  I wouldn't have it any other way. Just as much potential as RUSVM has to blossom into an even more successful university, I know I have a huge amount of potential where I am to blossom into a wonderful veterinarian and colleague.  I truly feel like this is my opportunity to grow in ways that I might not have if I had ended up at OSU.

There's a ton of things planned for the rest of the week!  Can't wait to let everyone know how it all goes!

                                                       view while standing in front of my dorm

One of the beaches we drove past where the Atlantic and Caribbean Oceans meet 

Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park

Pretty scenery :)

What brought me to Ross University's School of Veterinary Medicine...

How my story starts seems to be the typical start for most veterinarians that I have come across in my life.  At the young, impressionable, and naive age of 6 years old, I began telling others that I wanted to become a veterinarian.  At the age of 11, I started finding ways to really develop a feel for and gain insight into the field of veterinary medicine.  I shadowed small animal, equine, and large animal veterinarians as well as interned at a small animal emergency veterinary clinic.  I gained the most experience as a veterinary assistant at a small animal clinic by taking on client education projects (i.e. pet obesity and senior wellness) and following the lead of their successful veterinary technicians in any work related duties (i.e. placing IV catheters, intubating cats/dogs, proper sterilization/packaging of surgical tools, etc.).

I earned my B.S. in Agriculture from The Ohio State University by majoring in Animal Sciences and minoring in Life Sciences.  My major was chosen because of the immense hands on interactions you gained with large animals as well as the statistical popularity it had with accepted students into OSU's veterinary program.  My minor was chosen based on its ability to fulfill most, if not all, course requirements by OSU and several other college/university veterinary programs.  I loved my major and the professors in the Animal Science department at OSU.  Although I am happy with my performance in undergrad, my GPA and GRE ended up not being the most competitive scores I truly needed to be welcomed into OSU's veterinary school.

After 2 years of being unsuccessful with applying to OSU, I began looking into the other options I had.  I sat down with the dean of OSU's veterinary school mid January of 2010 to discuss why I wasn't admitted to the program, what I could do to become a more competitive candidate, and what her thoughts on Ross University students were that had entered OSU for their clinical year.  The breakdown she gave me was as follows:

•   Statistically I wasn't competitive.  She told me that the veterinary school had supportive data that statistically proved a correlation between lower science GPAs and higher incidences of a student dropping out of the program.

•   In order to be more competitive, Dean Sanders suggested that I enter the Masters in Public Health program and have a focus on Veterinary Medicine.

•   Dean Sanders said hands down she loves the students that come from Ross University.  She said that Rossies are extremely more outgoing than her OSU students which she thought could be a result of the students having to adapt to the island life, live far from family and friends, as well as take on the difficult curriculum of veterinary school.  She said that Ross students were just as successful as her OSU students if not more successful.

I decided against the option to earn my masters based on the timeline that was presented to me for the program in order to become more competitive (basically I had to acquire a research job and be a part of the research team's publications and presentations).  It was all these "what ifs" and a waiting game to become a veterinarian through Ohio States's College of Veterinary Medicine.

So I then turned my attention towards Ross University's School of Veterinary Medicine.  I sat in on a  Ross University seminar that came through Columbus, Ohio when the OVMA convention was in town and was able to really get acquainted with the school, what it has to offer future veterinarians, as well as the experiences that several speakers have had or are currently having at the university and on the island.

Hands down...I was impressed.  So I began my application process and received an invitation to be interviewed!  The interview went extremely well and throughout the whole application/interview process all my questions and concerns were thoroughly answered.

Right around my birthday in September 2010 I got accepted...best birthday present ever!  I was accepted for the May 2011 Vet Prep Program.

Ross University did something for me that OSU couldn't...they gave me an opportunity.  They looked at me as more than just a bunch of numbers...they saw an excellent future veterinarian.  The Vet Prep program consists of a handful of classes (i.e. microbiology, physiology, study skills, veterinary terminology, etc.) taken throughout the week that provide a basic foundation for your following semester at Ross University (this will be the first semester of veterinary school).  Why does this opportunity continue to be so awesome??  I get to be eased into the numerous adaptions and adjustments that I will be making with such a big move.  Instead of jumping right into vet school, I have a little bit of time to prep for the curriculum and adapt to my surroundings.  What sucked about this semester program?  It is not funded by government loans unlike the entirety of your veterinary school career.  You must find a private lender...and by private lender I mean you have 2 choices since most banks don't provide loans for international schools such as Ross.  So I have a loan through Sallie Mae that I wasn't approved for without a co-signer.  The other downfall of Sallie Mae and this type of loan, there is no deferment while you attend Ross.

So with all that said, I'm down to the last week before the big move...I've got all my travel vaccines, I've got my passport, I'm almost packed up.  I'm bursting with a ton of different emotions...excitement, nervousness, anxiousness to get there, etc.  But I'm ready for this adventure and this new chapter in my life.  It may not have been the prettiest path to get where I’ve wanted to be my whole life, but what matters is that I did it. I went against all odds. I fought through all the hardships and adversity that I was faced with and came out the other end pretty well off.  So very thankful and appreciative of the lessons that I have been lucky enough to learn so far in life and the experiences that I have encountered.  And I know that I am surrounded by so many positive influences and special people that never stopped believing in my potential. I can honestly say that I wouldn’t change a thing about my path. And a huge thank you goes out for all those that have been a positive influence. And another thank you to everyone that has continued to be there as I grow and thrive in life.

...I think this was a good starting place for my blog...feel free to ask any questions that you may have about Ross University as you go along on this journey with me : -)

                                      My future home